Hydrophilic coatings are used in various applications and systems, such as in manned spaceflight applications (e.g., extravehicular mobility units, the international space station, crew capsules, or the like) to remove humidity from the air within the environment. A hydrophilic coating(s) may be applied to a condensing surface of a heat exchanger within a system to remove humidity from the air and wick the condensate through the coating for water collection. Hydrophilic coatings may also comprise antimicrobial additives to prevent microbial proliferation, which may otherwise adversely impact the function of the system or the hydrophilic coating.